West Virginia is not for mutants, but its tourism board doesn’t mind if you think so

by Gabe Gurwin ·
Published 12, October 2018
· Updated 12, October 2018

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Fallout 76 paints a picture of a destroyed West Virginia, irradiated and left as a shell of its former self after a nuclear apocalypse hits. In reality, of course, West Virginia offers beautiful rural vistas and plenty of sightseeing opportunities, and to show Fallout 76 fans the real West Virginia, the state has partnered with Bethesda on a new tourism promotion. “It’s finally time the rest of the world sees what a gem West Virginia is,” said Governor Jim Justice in a press release. “For years, I’ve been saying we have it all: beautiful scenery, the best people you could ask for, and more.

And now, we get to share a piece of that with people all over the world through the unique lens of this video game.” The partnership will primarily focus on Fallout-themed advertising for West Virginia tourism, with specific information on the program coming at a later date. Currently, the West Virginia Tourism website has a map showing locations where the Fallout series’ iconic Vault Boy figure can be found.

These include Mothman and Charleston — both southwest of Pittsburgh — and Harpers Ferry, which is just west of Maryland.

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The website also includes side-by-side shots of real West Virginia locations versus their video game counterparts. As you can imagine, the real thing looks quite a bit more colorful and has significantly less radiation and fewer mutants to worry about. The architecture, however, is remarkably similar, and much of it was fortunate enough to make it out of the nuclear apocalypse intact!

“Our goal is to welcome each and every one of the game’s players to Almost Heaven,” tourism commissioner Chelsea Ruby added in the press release. “Bethesda has been a terrific partner since day one. They’ve really embraced West Virginia and its beauty. We believe this partnership has tremendous potential to bring folks to the Mountain State.”

Fallout 76 will take players to West Virginia on November 14 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

The beta test will begin for those who pre-ordered for Xbox One on October 23, and it will then release for other platforms on October 30.